Shibori Knitted Felt

Shibori is a resist dye technique from Asia. It is usually indigo dyed fabric and the resist (like tie-dye) is created by first folding or pleating (for more geometric designs), stitching items into the fabric (like little seeds for a dotted effect) or scrunching or wrapping the fabric before submerging the fabric into your dyebath. It creates beautiful designs that are one of a kind and naturally elegant.

So when Shibori Knitted Felt by Alison Crowther-Smith arrived on the UPS truck the other day I was suprised and curious. It's not Shibori like above, which is indigo dyed, but the knitted fabric is manipulated to create textural pattern, instead of dyed pattern. There are some really lovely artistic pieces in this book like

this beaded and felted scarf. Felting with yarns that shrink and yarns that don't in the same piece is a technique that she is using, almost like a knitted seersucker. Also, tying beads into the fabric before felting creates new textures. There is an example from a knitter in New Zealand here, to give you the idea. If you are a knitter who loves to felt, or who is looking for some new techniques to add to your repetoire this is the book for you. It's got great patterns and ideas for taking your felting to a whole new place! Check out a preview of the book below and then stop into Rosie's to take a closer look.

http://www.interweave.com/knit/books/Shibori_Knitted_Felt/preview.asp